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What I Think I Know by Damien Del Russo
First, I will provide full disclosure of expenses so that the true cost of the renovation is available. Second, I will be doing this project on a much smaller budget - definitely under $10,000, and hopefully for less than $6k. And this is not a minor renovation - I am completely rebuilding the entire kitchen (we may re-use cabinets if they are in OK condition). Finally, this will be a speedy renovation. Typically on television shows they report "It's been several months..." or "It's been some time..." since the renovation began - not this one. It will take a couple weeks, but the plan is to finish as quickly as possible. You'll see how doing the work myself, as opposed to waiting for busy contractors to show up, speeds the process quite a bit.
This isn't the first kitchen renovation I've done. In fact, my other kitchen renovation was the subject of my first essay on this site. This next series of essays will be much more hands on, with less naval gazing and more details. It won't be daily - I will also be posting an Artemis-related series to be announced tomorrow.
Before the first installment, let's hit a couple links:
The Guardian has a look at the worst literary sex of the past year. Very funny!
Here's a real winner.
I find this home buying article a bit frightening, though it does not appear intentional. What I take from this article is that home builders are often rushing at the last minute to complete homes. While there are warranties, things that break after a couple years are not going to be covered. I think there is a definite quality issue which encourages me to stay with older, established homes.
We also have a fun new (to me) song from Cibo Matto, Beef Jerkey, available on the Current Song page.
Episode 1: Kitchen Design Overview The plan is to close on our new home in about 2 weeks - until then, no purchases can be made. So, it is all planning for another couple weeks. I obtained a copy of the floorplan. The kitchen is 81 square feet, measuring 12 feet by 7.5 feet, minus a 9 square foot under-the-stairs closet. Actually the closet is bigger than that, extending under the stairs outside of the 7.5x12' box. There are doorways at either end of the 12' run, one to the living room/entry area, and one to a tiny 1/2 bath. There is also a doorway in the middle of the 12' run leading to the dining room. The current layout has the dining room doorway, stairway closet, oven, and refrigerator on one side with the dishwasher, sink, and cabinets on the other. There is also a washer in the room, but I intend to use that space for the slightly expanded 1/2 bath. (The 1/2 bath is currently a 1/4 bath - no sink. Yuck!) The new layout will be an improvement, I think. Fitting everything in will be no easy feat, considering the list of appliances and features we want. The following is the list of appliances, all of which will be purchased new (we don't like the old ones):
Those are in addition to a new pantry (under the stairs), hardwood flooring, granite countertops, and tile backsplash. Yes, in 81 sq feet (90 including pantry) and at around $6k. I'm nothing if not ambitious. Another point regarding budget - we are not using low cost appliances. For the most part they will be stainless steel, or Kohler, or American Standard where applicable. I will cover appliances individually, revealing my design considerations, feature requirements, and shopping methods for each piece. So we have the kitchen size and the list of appliances. Next we'll look at how everything will fit into such a small space while still creating a hard-working family kitchen.
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